A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words
by Roselia Lucia
Summary: A new girl has moved to Beach City all the way from Empire City to start a new life being independent. But what happens when she sees a certain someone from her past? Will she be able to move on with her new life or will her past come and corrupt her mind?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey readers, it's Roselia here telling you another new story! Don't worry I'm still typing my current stories (like my Randy Cunningham fanfic) so don't worry it will be updated soon. Now this new story is just something I decided to create after watching the episodes of Summer of Steven. Leave some positive comments if you want me to continue this story or not.**

 **Chapter 1: Starting Anew**

In Beach City, it was a quiet morning when a moving truck stopped in front of nice small house. Along with the moving truck was a taxi, and when it stopped a girl came out of the taxi and stood in front of the house. She was 5'3 tall, had shoulder length wavy blond hair, and has bright green eyes.

"Okay, Lavanya... Starting today, this is your new home. What do you think, Momo?" The girl asked looking down at her purse. Suddenly a sapphire chinchilla came out and squeaked happily.

"Aww, you love it don't ya?" Lavanya asked as she pets the chinchilla.

"Is this your stop, ma'am?" The taxi driver asked then Lavanya turned around to look at him.  
"Yes, this is my stop. Lemme pay you for taking me here." She said then the taxi driver held his hand telling her to stop.

"There's no need for that, ma'am. Your parents took care of the payment for your long trip." He said then Lavanya groaned.  
 _Darn it mom and dad...! They must've paid the guy when I went to go grab Momo..._ She thought as she looked at Momo who looked at her with innocent eyes.

"Well that was nice of them. Thank you for taking me here."

"You're very welcome. Good luck with your new life!"

"Thank you!" Lavanya said as she waved goodbye to the taxi driver. As she went in the house, she looked around the place.

"Excuse me, miss? Should we start bringing your stuff in?"

"Oh, yes! Lemme just pay you guys for all your hard work." Lavanya said as she went in her purse making Momo come out and climb onto her shoulder.

"Oh there's no need for that, miss. Your folks were kind enough to pay us."

"Oh... Really...? That's so sweet of my parents..." Lavanya said as she chuckled but deep down inside she was already irritated. As the movers started bringing all of her furniture, Lavanya smiled at her chinchilla.  
"Let's go say hi to our neighbors." She said then Momo squeaked happily. As Lavanya and Momo walked across from their house, Lavanya knocked on the door.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" A woman shouted then Momo hid behind Lavanya's hair. When the door opened a woman with a thick bob blond hair that's shaped like an onion came out.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Uh, hi. I'm your new neighbor just across the street. I'm Lavanya."

"Oh, so you're our new neighbor huh? Well, welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Vidalia. Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside." The woman, named Vidalia said then Lavanya bowed politely before she entered the house. In the kitchen, Lavanya sat down quietly then Momo came out of her hair and squeaked.

"So where are you from, kid?" Vidalia asked as she gave Lavanya a coffee mug that was filled with coffee.

"I came all the way from Empire City."

"Whoa, all the way from there? Well what's a city girl like you doing in a place like Beach City?"

"I needed to get away from the noise and the crowd... I felt like this place seemed like the kind of place that's pretty peaceful and quiet."

"You'd be surprised about this place." Vidalia said with a chuckle then Lavanya looked at her curiously.  
"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing to be afraid of, but interesting things often happen on Beach City."

"Oh... W-well I look forward to it." Lavanya said then Momo ran down her arm and sniffed the coffee mug.

"Hey, who's this little guy?" Vidalia asked as she held her hand out and Momo started sniffing her fingers.

"Oh, this is Momo my pet chinchilla."

"Well, aren't you a cutie patoot. You know my son loves animals. Oh, speak of the devil, here he is. Onion, come say hello to our new neighbor and her little friend." Vidalia called a chubby little boy with fair skin and a small tuft of blond hair on his head. The boy, Onion, came towards Vidalia but the moment he saw Momo, the chinchilla sensed something and hid inside Lavanya's hair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Please don't take this the wrong way, Momo is just super shy around children. Momo, it's okay... Come on out boy." Lavanya called sweetly but Momo remained hidden.  
"Um... Changing the topic... I didn't know you had a son."

"Yeah, I have two. Onion is my youngest, and my oldest- -"  
Suddenly the three heard loud music vibrating the whole house.  
"Sorry, my oldest likes to DJ! I hope this won't be a problem for you at night!" Vidalia shouted a bit so that Lavanya could hear.  
"Oh, not at all! I love DJ music!" She said then the music suddenly stopped.

"Hey, mom! I'm gonna go hang with my friends- -Whoa, who's the girl?"

"Sour Cream this is our new neighbor Lavanya. She came all the way from Empire City."

"Please to meet you." Lavanya said bowing her head a bit.

"Hey, I got an idea; why don't you take her around Beach City with your friends?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I might cramp your style." Lavanya said laughing a bit.

"Hey it's no trouble, uh, Lavanya. I can even show you where I'm gonna have my next Rave."

"A Rave...? Like... A dance?" Lavanya asked.

"Yeah. I can tell you a bit more on the way to Fish Stew Pizza." Sour Cream said as he was about to leave.

"O-Okay... Thank you for the coffee, Vidalia. It was nice meeting you and Onion."

"Have fun you two." Vidalia said as Lavanya left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Beach City**

 _As Lavanya and Sour Cream were walking around, the two of them were talking- -Mostly Sour Cream talking about making more songs and nagging about how much of a drag his dad is._

"That music you were playing back at your house was really good. Do you plan to play that at your Rave?"

"Yeah. You should come, Lav!" Sour Cream said already getting comfortable around Lavanya.

"Gee... I dunno..."

"Don't tell me you're like afraid or something?"

"It's not that I'm afraid... It's just I'm new to Beach City so I don't really know anyone..."

"Well, that's why mom told me to show you around. C'mon, I'll introduce you to my friends." Sour Cream said as he guided Lavanya to a restaurant called "Fish Stew Pizza". There, Lavanya saw two teenagers, a young man with light brown skin wearing sunglasses and a young girl with puffy bob hair and she was wearing gold earrings.

"Hey, Sour Cream! Oh~ Who's your new friend~?" The girl asked in a loud friendly tone scaring Lavanya at first.

"Guys, this is Lavanya. She's my neighbor that moved from Empire City. Lav, this is my friends Jenny and Buck."

"Oooooohh~! What's a girl like you doing here?" The young girl, Jenny, asked as she moved closer to Lavanya making the girl gasped.  
"I, uh, I decided that Empire City was a bit too much for me... I lived there all my life, so I decided to change the pace and start a new life being independent."

"Being independent, huh? That's pretty hardcore, City Girl." The young man, Buck said making Lavanya look at him curiously.

"I was gonna show Lavanya around Beach City."

"Oh, that sounds like fun, playing tourists!" Jenny said then Buck walked and stood next to Lavanya.

"Great. Let's start!" Sour Cream said. While Lavanya followed the three cool kids as they were all telling short stories of each locations, Lavanya stopped in front of an arcade.

"Lav? What's up?" Sour Cream called then Lavanya snapped back to reality and turned to face the blond boy.  
"Oh, sorry..."

"No need to say sorry. Did you wanna go in there and play a game or something?" Jenny asked then Lavanya shook her head.  
"No, no, no, no! I was just amazed by all those games in there."

"You like playing games?" Buck asked then the blond hair girl twiddled with her fingers.  
"Does dating sim games count...?"

"Oh, my gosh! Lavanya have you ever dated anyone?" Jenny asked, shocked then Lavanya scratched the back of her head.  
"There was one guy back in Empire City... But I dumped him..."

"Aw, how come?"

"He started off as a nice guy, but after I got to see the real side of him... I realized he was a real jerk."

"Good for you, Lavan! You don't need a man in your life! That's why I rather party and hang with friends!" Jenny said then Lavanya smiled but then realized something.  
"Actually... This came to me, but is that arcade hiring anyone...?"

"I don't think so... If you want a job, you can come work at my pizza restaurant and take my position."

"That's very kind of you Jenny, but I think games are a bit more suited for me."

"If you want I can talk to Mr. Smiley into giving you the job."

"Oh, you don't have to do that Buck..." Lavanya said trying to politely refuse Buck but he already went into the arcade. Five minutes later he came out along with a tall muscular bald man.  
"Well, well, well! So you're the city girl that's interested in working for me, huh? Pleasure to meet ya, name's Harold Smiley!" He said as he held out his hand. Lavanya looked at his hand then shook it hesitantly.  
"P-Please to meet you. I'm Lavanya."

"Well, Lavanya. You look like a decent girl. You can start working tomorrow!"

"T-Tomorrow?! I don't need like, an interview or something?!"

"Have you ever committed a crime?"

"N-No sir..." Lavanya answered then Mr. Smiley smiled.  
"Then you're hired!"

"Whoo! Congrats, Lavan!" Jenny cheered as she hugged Lavanya.  
"Oh, it's Steven! Hi, Steven!" Jenny called as they saw a short kid with curly black brown hair.

"Hi, Mr. Smiley! Hi Jenny, Sour Cream, Buck and girl I've never met before!"

"Oh, hello."

"I've never seen you here in Beach City before. Who are you?"

"My name is Lavanya. I just moved here and I'm Sour Cream's neighbor."

"Nice to meet you, Lavanya." The boy Steven said greeted then Momo came out of Lavanya's hair and squeaked.

"AW~! Who's this little guy?"

"Oh, this is my pet, Momo. Say hi, Momo." Lavanya said as Momo walked around and sniffed everyone's hands and everyone started petting the chinchilla. But when it was Steven's turn Momo took some time sniffing his hand.

"You'll have to forgive him. He's not use to little kids." Lavanya said then Momo started rubbing his cheek against Steven's hand making the curly hair boy laughed.  
"He's so cute! Can I hold him?"

"S-Sure." Lavanya said then Steven held Momo and the chinchilla squeaked happily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Da z **z** ling Nightmare  
**

 _Lavanya was at a club watching teenagers dancing under the bright neon lights. She fiddled with a lock of her hair staring at the floor until she saw a pair of shoes right in front of her. Slowly looking up she saw a young man smiling seductively at her._  
"Hey baby..."

Lavanya woke up, startled then she looked at her clock- -It was 5:45 AM. She panted softly, wiping her forehead that was slightly covered in a light sheet of sweat. Momo looked at her and squeaked softly.

"Momo..." Lavanya called then she smiled petting her chinchilla's head.  
"I'm fine... It was just a bad dream..." She said calmly then she stood up and opened the curtain. She could slightly see the sky changing color as morning rises. Changing out of her pajamas, Lavanya got dressed and was ready to head to work.  
"Momo, watch the house while I'm gone okay?" She said then Momo was right in front of her and he squeaked happily.

* * *

"Morning, Mr. Smiley sir. I'm ready to get started!" Lavanya said with a smile.

"Wow, you're full of enthusiasm. I like it! Okay, Lavanya, you can start by getting customer in. How good are you with signs?"

"Uh... Signs...?" Lavanya repeated. Minutes later, Lavanya was standing outside the arcade holding a sign that says "Come on in, we got the games".

 _If I knew I was gonna be holding a sign all day, I'd rather work at Jenny's family's restaurant..._ Lavanya thought then she sighed.

"Hi, Lavanya!" A familiar voice greeted then Lavanya turned and saw Steven along with a girl she didn't recognized.  
"Steven, hello. And hello." Lavanya greeted looking at the girl. She had dark brown puffy hair that went all the way down to her waist and dark skin.

"Lavanya this is Connie. Connie this is Lavanya. She's new to Beach City."

"Nice to meet you, Lavanya." The girl, Connie greeted, holding out her hand then Lavanya put the sign down and shook Connie's hand.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Connie."

"Lavanya has this cute friendly pet too! What was Momo called again, Lavanya?"

"Momo is a chinchilla."

"A chinchilla? Can I see it?" Connie asked her eyes filled with excitement.

"Sure. Unfortunately Momo isn't with me right now. But tell you what, how about after work you guys can come over to my house and play with him?"

"Really?! Can we?!" Steven asked excitedly then Lavanya smiled.  
"Sure. It can be a little quiet when it's just me and Momo."

"Don't you ask Sour Cream to come over?"

"Sour Cream is a nice guy, unfortunately if he plays his music at my place, it would probably scare my poor Momo."

"That's true... Chinchilla's can't handle very loud noise because it'll startle them."

"So when are you done working?" Steven asked then Lavanya picked up the sign.  
"Well, Mr. Smiley told me to attract customers to come to the arcade by using this sign."

"Oh! I know how you use that sign to get customers to come in." Steven said then he held out his hands and Lavanya handed him the sign.  
"My dad showed me these cool moves when holding a sign." He said as he started twirling the sign around then both Lavanya and Connie clapped their hands.

"Amazing Steven! That must've taken years to master that!"

"It's quite easy." Steven chuckled bashfully then Lavanya pulled her phone out and played some upbeat music.  
"Some music and your mad sign twirling skills will surely bring a crowd."

"Don't worry Momo, we'll get those customers and see you real soon!" Steven cheered then he twirled the sign. After an hour of Steven explaining and even showing other sign twirling moves both Lavanya and even Connie learned how to twirl the sign like Steven.

* * *

 _Another hour passed and there was a crowd circling around the three as they were dancing and passing the sign to one another to twirl. The crowd cheered some went inside the arcade to play when they couldn't see Steven, Connie, and Lavanya._

"I gotta have it to ya Lavanya. You sure brought in a big crowd, and on your first day too. Tell you what, I can take it from here." Mr. Smiley said then Lavanya looked at him with a shocked look.  
"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You worked pretty hard. And it sure paid off." Mr. Smiley said as he looked at Connie and Steven passing the sign and twirling it.  
"Take the rest of the day off. My treat." He said then Lavanya hugged Mr. Smiley.

"Let's wrap it up, Steven and Connie! Mr. Smiley gave me the rest of the day off!" Lavanya said happily then both Steven and Connie nodded.

"Time to show the crowd the Razzle Dazzle!" Steven said as he started twirling the sign over his head then he gracefully tossed it to Connie and when she caught it she started moving towards Lavanya twirling the sign around her body. As Lavanya was about to catch the sign, her heart sank when she saw someone hauntingly familiar in the crowd. The sign fell and everyone gasped and started murmuring to one another. When Lavanya shook her head she saw that the person was someone else. She gripped her chest, her face was sickly pale.

"Lavanya? Are you okay? What happened?" Steven asked worriedly then when Lavanya looked up and saw Steven, Connie, and even the whole crowd looking at her, her heart almost stopped. She quickly ran away from the crowd and headed straight home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** **Sick With Apprehension** **  
**

 _As Lavanya ran home, she unlocked her door and when she got into her house she slammed the door, slowly sliding down and sobbed softly. Momo, her pet chinchilla, came running towards her and squeaked worriedly._

"Momo…" Lavanya called then she quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom. Slamming the bathroom door shut, Momo ran towards the bathroom and started scratching the door until he heard the doorbell ring.

"Lavanya? Are you home?" Steven's voice called behind the door. Momo ran towards the table, jumping up then he jumped onto the door knob, pulling it down and opening the door.

"It opened…" Connie said then both kids heard a soft thud and Momo walked towards them squeaking.

"Momo!"

"Aw, what a cute chinchilla!" Connie said then Momo started circling around.

"Oh, right! Momo where's Lavanya? We wanted to check if she was okay." Steven said then Momo started running towards the bathroom. Connie and Steven followed the chinchilla and when Momo stopped they both heard the toilet flushed and Lavanya slowly opened the door and gasped when she saw the two children.  
"Steven, Connie, wh-what are you doing here…?"

"Momo let us in. Lavanya… Are you okay…? You just suddenly froze and then took off…" Steven explained then Lavanya sighed softly.  
"I'm fine, Steven… I just… Thought I saw someone… That's all…"

"Is it someone that you're scared of?" Steven asked then Lavanya nodded a bit.

"Forgive me for asking you this, Lavanya… But by any chance do you have… An anxiety disorder?" Connie asked then Lavanya gasped.

"Connie, I don't think you should ask her something like that…"

"It's okay, Steven… Connie… You're quite a smart girl. May I ask how do you know about my disorder…?"

"My mom is a doctor and I came across one of her books she was reading on mental illness. From what I saw Lavanya, you were feeling panicky and just moments ago you felt nausea… Those are common symptoms of anxiety."

"Doctors told me that anxiety disorder wasn't too serious as I grew up. However, my mom and dad were so caring and didn't want me to get hurt. But I did… I did get hurt…"

"Who hurt you, Lavanya…? Was it someone you thought you saw?" Steven asked then Lavanya nodded.  
"I thought I saw my ex-boyfriend…" She answered then both Connie and Steven gasped loudly.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend?!"

"Yeah… He was actually my first… He was really sweet… Then one day, he just suddenly changed and I couldn't take it anymore, so I broke up with him."

"Good for you! You don't deserve jerky boyfriends!"

"Steven's right! A girl as pretty as you deserves a gentleman!"

"Maybe even a prince!" Steven suggested his eyes sparkling then Lavanya giggled.  
"Thanks for the nice suggestion, but I doubt Prince Charming is gonna be knocking on my front door." She said then the doorbell rang making the blond girl blink. Both Connie and Steven were jumping with excitement but when Lavanya opened the door, right in front of her was the mailman.

"Good afternoon, is there someone by the name of… 'Leh-van-yah'… Hart?"

"I'm Leh-van-yah Hart." Lavanya giggled at the mailman's pronunciation of her first name.

"JAMIE~!" Steven shouted happily as he ran towards the mailman and they both high-fived each other.

"Hey, Steven. Whatcha doing over here?"

"Me and Connie are hanging out with Lavanya and her pet Momo."

"Who's Momo?" The mailman, Jamie, asked then Momo climbed onto Lavanya's shoulder and squeaked.

"This is Momo, my pet chinchilla."

"Oh, wow! I've never seen a chinchilla before. Hey, little buddy." Jamie said as he used his finger to pet Momo. Momo accepted the mailman petting him and Lavanya giggled.

"Oh! That's right. I'm gonna need your signature, Miss Lavanya. It seems you got a package from Mr. and Mrs. Hart."

"Oh! Mom and dad sent me something?" Lavanya asked as she signed the clipboard Jamie gave her then Jamie gave a box to her then Lavanya gave it to Steven and Connie to open.

"You know… You look familiar… Haven't I seen you somewhere?" Jamie asked then Lavanya froze and smiled.  
"Nope! I'm just a normal girl living her new life in Beach City!" She said trying to hide her nervousness then Jamie was still looking at her curiously but Lavanya, with no hesitation, immediately closed the door.

"What was that all about?" Steven asked as Lavanya sighed.  
"Sorry, just nervous is all. So what did my parents sent me?"

"It looks like a tin can…" Connie said then Steven started shaking it and there was rattling noises inside.  
"Oh! Something inside!" He said excitedly then he opened it and there were many different cookies inside.

"COOKIES!" Both Connie and Steven said then Lavanya smiled.  
"It's my mom's homemade cookies. They're my favorite and she would always make a whole bunch."

"And she even made them into cute shapes!" Connie said as she held a bunny shape cookie.

"The bunnies are sugar cookies. Chocolate chip are the cats, peanut butter cookies are elephants, oatmeal raisin cookies are flowers, and chocolate cookies are dogs."

"Can I take one of each?" Steven asked then Lavanya smiled.  
"Sure. I won't be able to finish all of my mom's homemade cookies. Please, take some with you."

"Wow, thanks Lavanya." Connie said then Momo handed the two children two zip-lock bags. After Steven and Connie had fun playing with Momo, they were about to head back home.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Lavanya?"

"I'm very sure Connie. Thank you for your concern. You two get home safe now okay?" Lavanya said then both Steven and Connie waved goodbye to her. When Lavanya closed the door she sighed softly.  
"They're such nice kids, huh Momo?" She asked then her chinchilla squeaked and nuzzled his cheek against his owner's cheek.

* * *

 _At night, Jamie couldn't over the thought that he has seen Lavanya somewhere before but he just couldn't put his finger on it._

 _I know I've seen her from somewhere! But where? Where?!_ Jamie thought then he pulled out his cellphone and started typing the name "Levanya Hart". Suddenly the first top three results all say "Lala Heart" and the mailman gasped dramatically.  
 _THAT'S IT!_ He thought his eyes sparkling with excitement.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: You Were Famous**

"Are you sure you're okay, Lavanya?" Mr. Smiley asked as Lavanya was sitting in a chair behind the counter.

"I'm certain, sir."

"It's just Steven and Connie told me about your… _'Problem'_ …" Mr. Smiley whispered the word problem referring to Lavanya's disorder,  
"And I just don't want you to push yourself and end up getting sick again."

"Thank you for your concern Mr. Smiley. But I really am fine. Yesterday was just a small shock that's all. It's nothing like what I had back at home."

"I can't imagine how you'd stand on your own two feet living in a place like Empire City."

"It was a bit difficult for me, but with a peaceful place like Beach City I think my mind can feel at ease."

"Well, you let me know when you're not feeling well sweetie." Mr. Smiley said as he pat Lavanya's head then she smiled.  
"Thank you, sir." She said then Mr. Smiley left. As minutes to hours went by business was a bit slow, Lavanya sighed as she stared at the front entrance in a daze.

 _Just a couple more hours and I can go home… Maybe I should call Steven and Connie to see if they wanna play with Momo. I'm sure they'd like that. Wonder if they liked the homemade cookies my mom made._ Lavanya thought then she saw someone at the front entrance.

"Oh? Oh! Hey! It's Lala Heart!"

Lavanya's heart sank and her entire body felt cold with fear. It was none other than the mailman, Jamie whom she saw yesterday and even remembered him saying that she looked familiar. She slowly grabbed something she could find, and when she grabbed a magazine she immediately threw it at Jamie knocking him down. Jumping over the counter she ran towards him and started shaking him.  
"WHO TOLD YOU?! WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT ME?! SPIT IT OUT!" She shouted still shaking the mailman before he could even speak.

"Lavanya?! What _are_ you _doing_ to that man?!"

"Mr. Smiley, sir! This man is out cold when he accidentally hit his head on the wall! I'll take him in the back and make sure he's okay!" Lavanya lied as she dragged Jamie to the back room.

* * *

 _Jamie slowly opened his eyes and when he turned his head he saw Lavanya with the first aid kit on her lap. He immediately sat up with a gasp._  
"It's really you, Lala- -!"

"Please do not use that name." Lavanya interrupted Jamie giving the mailman a cold glare.  
"I know longer go by that name since I quit being a singer."

"I-I heard… I was in total shock when I figured out that you quit and left the theater… What's even more shocking… You cut your hair and changed your wardrobe… You were so beautiful with long hair and how you dressed so elegantly, like a princess out of a fairytale."

"Sorry, but looks like the Fairy Godmother's spell wore off and I'm now an ugly duckling."

"Oh! N-n-n-no! I'm not saying you're ugly or anything like that! It's just- -!"

"I get it. You were enchanted by how gorgeous I was performing songs on stage. I get that a lot from everyone." Lavanya said as she put the first aid kit away and was about to leave.

"W-Wait! Miss Hart!"

"Lavanya is fine, sir." Lavanya corrected Jamie as she still kept walking with Jamie still following her.  
"Lavanya… Please wait!"

"What? What do you want? Money? An autograph?"

"N-n-n-no! I just… I want to be your friend." Jamie answered then Lavanya turned around to face him.  
"Excuse me?"

"I-I wanna know about you; what you like, what you don't like, what kind of life did you have? Were you happy? What made you want to perform singing? All those kinds of things!" Jamie said then Lavanya blinked feeling confused.  
"Y'know… You're an odd and persistent mailman…"

"I-Is that a bad thing…?" Jamie asked then Lavanya giggled a bit.  
"No. That's just who you are. I don't find that bad or anything. Tell you what, Jamie… I'm almost done with work and I'm going to invite Steven and Connie over to my place for a playdate with my pet Momo. If you want, you can join us." Lavanya said then Jamie smiled and nodded.

* * *

 _Back at home, Lavanya was preparing the dry fruit and cutting some vegetables for Momo. Momo was hopping around happily._

"Oh you're doing the popcorn! You're a happy boy cuz you know you're getting some yummy treats." Lavanya said as she gave Momo a kiss on the head then the doorbell rang.  
"Go get the door boy. I'm gonna clean up." She said then Momo ran towards the door and opened it.

"Momo!" Steven and Connie said excitedly then Lavanya smiled.  
"Hello, Steven and Connie. Come in. I got Momo's snacks ready."

"He's pretty happy. He's hopping around like crazy."

"Oh, he's doing the popcorn dance. It's a dance that chinchillas do to express how happy they are." Lavanya explained then the doorbell rang again.

"Did you invite someone over Lavanya?" Connie asked as Steven held the bowl of Momo's snacks.

"I did invite someone over actually. He and I are gonna have tea while you guys can have fun with Momo." Lavanya answered then when she opened the door she saw Jamie.

"Evening, Lavanya."

"Good evening, Jamie. I almost didn't recognized you without the mailman uniform."

"JAMIE~!" Steven called as he came and gave Jamie a high-five.

"Come on in, Jamie. I got the tea and cookies ready." Lavanya said then Jamie came into the house. As Steven and Connie were teaching Momo some tricks and giving him snacks, Jamie and Lavanya were enjoying some tea and cookies.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Piece of Mind**

 _It was Saturday and while Lavanya was having tea with Jamie, Steven and Connie were petting Momo while they enjoyed the view outside._

"It's such a lovely day today."

"It's nice to enjoy a relaxing day on our day off." Jamie said as he was petting Momo while Steven and Connie were lying on the grass looking at the sky.

"Back in Empire City it's never this peaceful. It's always busy; cars honking their horns, people always talking loudly on their phones, and sirens blaring…"

"Sounds like a pretty stressful life." Steven said as he rolled onto his stomach.

"Lavanya what was it like, y'know your singing life?" Connie asked then Jamie motioned his hands telling her to stop.

"It's okay, Jamie. It's not really that difficult to talk about. My singing life back in Empire City was… Magical. Like something out of a fairytale… Unfortunately like all fairytale stories, there's always an end."

"What made you want to quit singing?" Steven asked as both he and Connie moved from the grass to the small table where Lavanya and Jamie were having tea.

"Before… As I began to perform more shows, in the back of my mind, a little voice said to me 'Who am I doing all this for? It can't be for mom and dad, because they love me just the way I am no matter what choices I make in life.' That voice would always repeat over and over in my mind. So with I decided to leave the theater and left Empire City."

"I wanna see one of your performance." Steven wished then Jamie looked at Lavanya and she sighed softly.  
"Go ahead." She said then Jamie made a happy excited squeal as he pulled out his phone. As the video loaded it started playing a video of Lavanya on stage as the spotlight flashed on her. Both Steven and Connie gasped when they saw Lavanya with long hair and dressing so elegantly.

"You had long hair?"

"Yep."

"You look like a princess, Lavanya…" Connie said amazed by how Lavanya used to look like. As they heard Lavanya's beautiful performance the video ended and Jamie, Steven, and Connie sighed softly.

"I have that effect on many people…" Lavanya said as she rubbed under Momo's chin.

"Lavanya, it's a real big waste to quit singing when you're so talented!"

"Yeah! You should think about singing again!"

"Well, my life back in Empire City was struggling and pretty complicated… I'll think about it though okay?" Lavanya told Steven and Connie then Momo jumped off the table and started running then the two followed the chinchilla and played with him.

"Are you really gonna think about singing again?" Jamie asked softly so Connie and Steven couldn't hear the two of them then Lavanya went into the house carrying her tea pot. Jamie followed her, concerned with what he said might've upset her.

"I dunno Jamie… It's almost been a month since I quit singing… I don't even know if I can really do it… That little voice in the back of my mind still haunts me with that question…"

"'Who am I doing this for?' Well, if your mind thinks that it's not for your parents then what about your friends?"

"My… My friends…?"

"Yeah. Steven and Connie, and even me… We all like your singing. And it's a real shame for you to just quit and have people not know about it." Jamie explained then Lavanya softly rubbed the tea tin can and sighed.  
"I always did enjoy singing when I was young… I'll give it a little more thinking. Thank you Jamie. It's nice to hear someone else's opinion. Normally I would go to my parents for advice, but because they're not here hearing advice from someone that I'm getting to know feels rather strange."

"Strange like a good thing or a bad thing?" Jamie asked then Lavanya started making more tea then she put the tin can away.  
"A good way. A very good way." She answered then Jamie's cheeks felt warm and he looked away for a bit. While the two waited for the tea, Jamie raised his head up to look at Lavanya.  
"You know… I heard from Steven and Connie about… You know…"

"I'm afraid I don't follow." Lavanya said but she had a feeling that she knew exactly what Jamie was going to bring up.

"Your anxiety disorder… And I don't want to upset you or offend you, but something like that is really nothing to be ashamed of…" Jamie said then Lavanya looked down smiling sadly.  
"It's not that I'm ashamed of having a disorder… But more like how I'm treated when people know about it…"

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked then Lavanya sat on a stool.  
"When people knew about my disorder they started treated me differently… They began to treat me like I was a person with a disease or they would carefully choose their words for what they should say to me so that I won't end up getting upset or hurt… That's why I enjoy Beach City, why I enjoy having Steven and Connie around, because even though they knew about my disorder they still treat me like a regular person."

"You are a regular person, Lavanya. A regular person who's very good at singing." Jamie said then Lavanya playfully punched his arm.

"Ow! Uncalled for!" Jamie said as he rubbed his arm.

"That was so called for. That's what you get for saying something like that. You're just trying to get me back into singing again."

"Is it working?" Jamie asked then Lavanya playfully punched his arm again then Jamie used his arm to quickly head lock Lavanya. As both of them laughed they heard Steven clear his throat catching both their attention. Steven had a giddy smile and Connie was smiling as well while Momo was on her shoulder.

"What are you two doing~?" Steven asked playfully then when Jamie and Lavanya looked at each other, Jamie immediately drew back blushing.  
"I-I-I-I'm so sorry!"

"W-W-We weren't doing anything!" Lavanya answered waving her hands around. Suddenly she heard the water in the pot boiling then the blond hair girl quickly ran to the stove to turn it off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Friends Till the End**

 _"Don't think you're safe just yet! This isn't over until I say it is!"_

Lavanya woke up gasping suddenly. She looked at her clock- -It was 2 o'clock in the morning. Sighing she lay her head back down and tried to fall back asleep. Groaning, she sat up waking her chinchilla Momo who was curled up next to her pillow. The sapphire chinchilla squeaked then Lavanya got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Momo, worriedly, followed his master and then saw her making tea. Momo squeaked then Lavanya held her hand down and the chinchilla jumped on her hand and ran towards her shoulder.

"Is this my punishment for lying to my parents…? Or running away from my fear…?" Lavanya asked Momo then the chinchilla shook his head. Lavanya chuckled softly then she poured the tea into a cup.

* * *

 _When Lavanya was at work Mr. Smiley noticed how awful the blond hair girl looked._

"Uh, Lavanya are you okay?"

"Oh… I'm fine Mr. Smiley… I just… Had a really difficult time falling back asleep…" Lavanya answered as her eyes slowly closed but she shook her head and woke herself up.

"Lavanya, why don't you take the day off?"

"Oh no, but who's gonna watch the arcade…?"

"I've handle the arcade before I hired you. It's no trouble. Besides, with that look on your face you're more likely to scare the customers. Why don't you head on home and get some rest? You can come back to work once you're all better, okay?" Mr. Smiley said as he pat Lavanya on the head. The blond hair girl smiled and nodded.  
"Okay, thank you sir."

* * *

 _As Lavanya was about to head home, Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream saw the blond hair girl staggering as she tried to head back home._

"Is she okay? She doesn't look too good…" Jenny said with concern then Lavanya suddenly hit a wall and fell. The three ran over to where Lavanya was and Jenny lifted the blond's head and rested her head on her lap.

"Lavan are you okay?!"

"Lav? Lav can you hear us?!" Sour Cream asked then when Lavanya opened her eyes her vision was so messy she was seeing three Sour Cream.  
"I see three Sour Creams…" She said with a giggle then Jenny rubbed her head.  
"Poor girl… We gotta take her home!"

"Shouldn't we take her to a hospital?" Buck asked but Sour Cream lifted Lavanya up and carried her. As the three headed to Lavanya's house, Jamie saw the three teens carrying Lavanya.

"Lavanya?" Jamie said then he texted Steven to check on Lavanya at her house.

* * *

 _"This is all **your fault**!"_

 _Stop…_

 _"Don't forget, I **made you** get noticed! I **made you** become famous!"_

 _Stop…!_

 _"I can make you go back to that **pathetic life** you used to have before we even started dating!"_

 _STOP!_

* * *

Lavanya woke up with a gasped then she held her forehead and moaned softly. She then heard someone groaned and when she opened her eyes she saw Sour Cream covering his nose.

"Sour Cream…?"

"I told ya to not loom over her like that, but you don't listen!" Jenny said as she was carrying a tray of food.

"Jenny?"

"How are you feeling, Lavan?"

"Um… Still a bit tired…" Lavanya answered then Sour Cream tilted his head back and sighed.  
"I think the bleeding stopped…"

"Do you remember what happened?" Buck asked then Lavanya looked down.  
"I… I remember leaving the arcade because Mr. Smiley told me to go home and rest… Then after that… I tried to head home but everything was a blur…"

"You were staggering and hit a wall."

"Luckily, it wasn't anything serious just a small bump." Jenny said then she placed the tray of food on a coffee table next to the couch where Lavanya was resting.

"Who made this?" Lavanya asked feeling grateful then Jenny giggled.  
"Steven and myself decided to make Gunga's Chicken n' Dumpling Soup."

"Steven helped you out?"

"Hi, Lavanya!" Steven greeted as he took off an apron and walked towards Lavanya.  
"Jamie texted me to check up on you at your place. Sorry about using your kitchen though, but we cleaned up after making you some food."

"That's really sweet of you guys. Thank you."

"Hey, it's no big deal. You're our friend, Lavan." Jenny said then Lavanya smiled. After eating, Lavanya and Jenny watched Sour Cream and Buck playing video games while Steven was playing with Momo till the chinchilla got tired and Steven carried him to the sofa and sat down watching the two older teens playing.

* * *

"Hey, Steven?" Lavanya called as Steven was in the kitchen about to make something for everyone.

"Oh, Lavanya? What's up?"

"Umm… Do… Do they know about… You know…"

"Your disorder?" Steven asked then Lavanya nodded.

"Yeah. They do know. But I didn't tell them."

"Then… How do they…?"

"That's something you should ask them Lavanya. You're their friend, and friends have to be honest with each other." Steven said then Momo walked towards his master and squeaked. Lavanya smiled gently then pet Momo.  
"Your right Steven… Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome." Steven said with a smile. As Lavanya sat back on the couch, Sour Cream and Buck took a break from video games.

"Uh, guys… I um… Wanted to ask you something…"

"Sure, what's on your mind, Lavan?" Jenny asked then Lavanya looked down feeling nervous.  
"Uh… I wanted to ask… How do you guys know about my… An-Anxiety disorder…?" She asked then when she looked up both Jenny and Sour Cream looked at Buck.

"I knew about it when I first saw you."

"At first we thought Buck was just being mysterious, but after when we saw you drop the sign and ran off, we had some suspicion and then today…"

"Today pretty much convinced us about your disorder." Sour Cream said then Lavanya looked down.

"But hey, that doesn't mean we're gonna treat you like you're not one of us."

"You're our friend, Lavanya. And friends stick up for each other and are there for each other."

"Spoke like a true friend, Buck." Jenny said as she hugged Lavanya and the blond hair girl blushed feeling happy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Slumber Party**

"A slumber party?" Lavanya asked as she looked at Steven then the small boy nodded with a big smile.  
"If you're having a hard time sleeping, a slumber party is the best way for you to get sleepy since you're gonna have so much fun your body will tire out!"

"Well… I suppose a slumber party wouldn't hurt… It's been so long since I ever had one or been to one."

"It'll be so much fun! And I even got the perfect game to start it off- -Spin the bottle truth or dare!"

"Nice!" Sour Cream said then Lavanya blushed brightly.

"Oh~! Looks like someone's got some juicy secrets!" Jenny said then Lavanya waved her hands in a panic.  
"No, no, no, no, no! I don't have any secrets or anything like that! I mean you guys pretty much know about my disorder and that's a pretty big secret to me…"

"I dunno. I think you're hiding some secrets." Sour Cream said then Lavanya covered her face.

"Okay, okay… That's enough teasing." Jenny said as she held an empty soda bottle.

"Can I play?" Steven asked popping his head from behind the couch.

"I dunno, Steven… We're gonna be doing some really intense truth or dare things."

"Intense is my middle name…" Steven said then Momo popped his head out of the boy's hair and squeaked.

"Well… Is it okay with you guys if Steven joins us?" Lavanya asked then everyone nodded. As everyone made a circle, Jenny held the empty soda bottle then laid it flat on the ground in the middle.

"I'll go first!" She said then she spun the bottle and it landed on Buck.

"Okay, Buck! Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Buck answered with no hesitation.

"Okay~ I dare you to… Kiss Momo!" Jenny said then Buck clicked his tongue to call Momo and when the chinchilla came running towards him, Buck held his hand down so that Momo can go on it. Once Buck brought Momo up he gave the chinchilla a kiss on the head. Momo, squeaking happily, started licking Buck's cheek.  
"That's pretty cute." Buck said as he put Momo down and the chinchilla ran off to go eat. Buck spun the bottle and it landed on Sour Cream.  
"Truth or dare…"

"Truth."

"Is it true that there's a girl you're crushing on?" Buck asked then Sour Cream blushed a bit.  
"Uh, y-yeah… There's a girl I like…"

"AW~! Who is she? Is it someone we know?" Jenny asked pestering Sour Cream.  
"Hey, I already answered a question. Wait till it's your turn." He said then Jenny scoffed. Sour Cream spun the bottle and it landed on Jenny.

"Okay, Jenny… Truth or dare."

"Dare me!"

"Okay, starting tomorrow I dare you to do your job. Like actually working."

"What?! Ugh, your dare sucks Sour Cream." Jenny complained then she spun the bottle and it landed on Lavanya.

"Lavanya~! Truth or dare!"

"Uh, dare!" Lavanya answered without even thinking.

"Okay. I dare you to… Answer three questions truthfully. Do you have anyone you like?" Jenny asked then Lavanya blushes.  
"Um, there is someone I like…"

"OH~! Does he live in Beach City?"

"Uh… Y-Yes he does…" Lavanya answered blushing a bit darker shade of red.

"Is he cool?"

"Um, w-well I wouldn't say cool… But more like… Creative…" Lavanya said then she spinned the bottle.

* * *

The game kept going on until Buck spun the bottle and it pointed at Lavanya.  
"Truth or dare?"

"Dare me!" Lavanya ordered feeling confident.

"Okay. I dare you to kiss Sour Cream." Buck said then Lavanya's confidence suddenly drop. She looked at Sour Cream and blushed brightly.

"Y-You know… You don't have to if you don't want to…" Sour Cream said comforting Lavanya then the blond hair girl shook her head.  
"No, no, no… I'm a woman of my word and I don't back down." She said then she turned to face Sour Cream sitting up straight. Sour Cream gently grabbed Lavanya's shoulders and the blond hair girl closed her eyes ready for what's to come. Sour Cream gulped and leaned closer to Lavanya, closing his eyes he pressed his lips against hers.

"Relationship Goals~!" Jenny squealed as she took a picture of Sour Cream and Lavanya kissing. Buck gave a thumbs up while he was covering Steven's eyes. When Sour Cream pulled away both teens looked at each other and their faces were flushed bright red.

* * *

 _As it was getting late, while Buck put a blanket over a sleepy Steven, Sour Cream and Jenny were watching Lavanya as she was asleep on the bed next to Sour Cream._

"How'd you know that I like her?" Sour Cream asked then Jenny smiled as she posted the photos onto her social media.  
"I kinda had a hunch, dude. She's a pretty cute girl and you were acting nervous around her. Not to mention how you would always constantly talk about her."

"I just wanted to know if she would come to my rave or not." Sour Cream said then Lavanya moaned softly then the platinum blond hair boy held Lavanya close and the girl snored softly.

"Do you think she likes me…?" Sour Cream asked his cheeks flushed a bit then Jenny shrugged her shoulders.  
"Who knows? If she does, I bet you two would make the cutest couple on Beach City." Jenny said as she got off the bed and walked out to use the restroom. Sour Cream looked at Lavanya then he pulled out his phone. He took a picture of himself and Lavanya then posted it on his social media.

* * *

 _In Empire City, a teenage boy with brown hair was drying his hair while checking on his laptop. As the teen was looking on his social media he saw a photo post of one of his friends and a certain face._

"'Guess who's snuggling with a cutie'? Lala?!" He said as he zoomed in on the photo of Sour Cream holding a sleepy Lavanya. The teenage boy checked on some more photos and found more of Lavanya and others playing spin the bottle but the one photo that really ticked the boy off was the photo Jenny took of Sour Cream and Lavanya kissing with the post saying "RELATIONSHIP GOALS~!".

"So… This is where you're been hiding, Lala… Perfect. You and I have some unfished business, Lala. No one, and I mean **no one** , dumps Kevin!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Theater Drama**

"See you later, Mr. Smiley!"

"Have a good day, Lavanya. Make sure you get your rest now!"

"I will, sir!" Lavanya answered then she left. As Lavanya left the arcade she was heading to Beach City's Community Theater. Couple weeks ago, Jamie told her that he was the lead director.

 _"Really?!"_ Lavanya asked surprised.

 _"Yeah. After me and Steven did a play of the tale of William Dewey, Mayor Dewey himself made me lead director. If you want, you can come by the place and check it out?"_

 _"Sure. I'd love to!"_ Lavanya answered smiling.

"I'm here!" Lavanya hollered then she saw Jamie, Steven, and Connie on stage.

"Hey, Lavanya!" Steven greeted.

"Hello, Lavanya." Connie greeted.

"Sorry for the wait, I just finished work." Lavanya said as she got on the stage.

"That's fine. Mayor Dewey called me and he wanted to do another play."

"Another one? Did he write one for us?"

"Actually, he was kind enough to let us do a play of our own, as long as it's in the budget…" Jamie muttered the last part then he cleared his throat.

"So what play have you provided us, o great director?"

"I love your motivation but don't do that please?" Jamie chuckled blushing a bit.  
"But the play I decided to do is based off my favorite story." He said as he held up a book.

"'Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart'?" Steven read the title then Lavanya gasped.  
"You like that book too?!"

"I do! You've heard of it?"

"Not just heard of it, I read it like every day! It was one of my favorite books to read!"

"Then it's settled! We're performing 'Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart'!" Jamie said then everyone cheered.

"Hold on… Lavanya? Are you gonna be okay doing this? After all, you did leave the theater." Connie mentioned then Lavanya rubbed her own arm to comfort herself a bit.  
"That I did… But you know… Lately everyone's been so nice to me… Maybe… Maybe I can try to perform one more time…" Lavanya said then Jamie clapped.  
"Oh! Happy day! We get to perform one of my favorite stories as a play and even have the great Lala Heart performing as well!"

"I thought I told you to not call me that, Jamie…" Lavanya said with a smile as she pinched Jamie's cheek.  
"My apologies…" He said then Lavanya released his cheek.

"So we need to figure out all the characters that need to be performed…" Jamie said then as he look through the book he started listing all the characters.  
"And done."

"So… There's six main characters and a few extras…"

"I'd say about a total of ten to fifteen people would be perfect." Jamie said then he gasped as he got an idea.  
"Lavanya! How's your singing?!"

"Excuse me?!" Lavanya said, shockingly confused.

"Your singing! Can you still sing?!"

"Uh, I g-guess?"

"Sing the first few lines of 'Flames with Glasses'!" Jamie said then Lavanya stuttered at the sudden suggestion but she took a deep breath.

 _My… Vision's not quite right  
But glasses make me look a sight  
Enough to give the world a fright  
Like a sprite…  
Wearin' specs_

Jamie then steps towards Lavanya and smiles.

 _Oh_ _, fiery little sprite_ _  
Conflagration in the night  
Don't play games with your sights  
If it leaves you in the dark…_

Lavanya smiled then nodded.  
"That's great."

"I think you and Jamie should both be Miss Acacia and Jack, Lavanya." Connie suggested then Jamie shook his head.  
"No, no, no, no! I can't do that! I'm supposed to be the lead director! I'm have to direct people in order for the play to go smoothly…"

"Don't worry about that, Jamie! You can leave that to me!"

"Uh, a-are you sure about that Steven…?" Jamie asked feeling a bit uneasy leaving his lead directing position to Steven.

"Don't worry about it! I'll make sure this play will be an even bigger success than the last play we did!" Steven promised then Jamie nodded.  
"Okay, I'm leaving it to you then." He said then Steven and Jamie high-fived each other.

* * *

"A play?"

"Yeah… Before I moved to Beach City, I used to be quite famous in theater. I dunno if you heard of the name 'Lala Heart'?"

"Shut the front door! You're the Lala Heart?!" Jenny asked then Lavanya blushed a bit and nodded.  
"As much as I wanna hide it, but since you guys are my friends, I wanna be honest with you. So yeah, I am Lala Heart."

"I can't believe that I didn't recognized you before, Lav! I love the songs you sing!" Sour Cream said as Lavanya was sitting on his lap.

"I always thought you were the kind of guy that raves to music that doesn't have words."

"Are you kidding me? The songs you sing are the type of songs that help me sleep." Sour Cream said then Lavanya blushed.  
"Th-Thank you… I feel honored that my singing are useful to you."

"So what role in this play are you gonna go for, Lavan?" Jenny asked as she looked at the list.

"Actually, I already got a part… I'm playing the main character's love interest, Miss Acacia."

"Has someone got the role of Jack?" Sour Cream asked looking at the list.

"Actually, since Steven is the lead director, there's a possibility that Jamie might get the role of Jack. However, no one has gotten Jack's rival Joe. Joe is another main character who's in love with Miss Acacia."

"Oh~! You should go for that role, Sour Cream!" Jenny suggested then Sour Cream scratched his cheek.  
"You think I have a shot at getting the role…?"

"Just… DO IT!" Lavanya said as she did the "Just Do It" pose while sitting down. Everyone laughed at how adorably silly Lavanya looked then the blond hair girl smiled.

The next day there were quite a good amount of people that came to the theater to audition for the play. As Lavanya went in she sat next to Steven and Connie.

"Nice beret, Steven."

"Thanks. Okay, everyone! Auditions are now open! Please perform a line and we will call you one by one!"

"First up is… Sour Cream." Connie said then Sour Cream walked up on stage.  
"Hi, I'll be auditioning for the role of Joe."

"Okay. Sing a few lines from one of Joe's songs." Jamie said then Sour Cream glanced at Lavanya. The blond girl opened her mouth and mouthed a few words. Sour Cream then started repeating the words that Lavanya was mouthing.

"Pretty good. We'll have you work on the rapping a bit."

"Next, please!" Steven called happily. After about two hours Steven had everyone's roles ready.  
"Okay, ready to hear the roles?" He asked then everyone cheered.

"Okay, for our two main; Jamie will be playing Jack and Lavanya will be playing Miss Acacia. Now for the role of Jack's mother will be Jenny. Playing Madeleine, Jack's adopted mother who saves Jack, will be played by Sadie!"

"I'll do my very best." Sadie said nervously then as Steven got to the last character.  
"And finally… The last character, our wondrous rival Joe will be played by- -!"

"Not so fast! I'd like to audition for the role of Joe." A familiar voice shouted making Lavanya freeze in her place.  
 _That voice…! It… It can't be?!_

"Kevin…" Steven softly said as he squeezed his beret. The teenager Kevin walked towards the stage and Steven stood up.  
"I'm sorry, good sir but we were just about to give the role of Joe to someone else."

"But you didn't even hear me audition. All good directors listen to everyone's audition before coming to a decision." Kevin said then Steven growled softly.  
"Very well…"

"Please sing Joe's final song…" Jamie said then Kevin cleared his throat. With no hesitation he sang the song perfectly making Lavanya gasped in shocked.  
"Steven… You can't give this role to him… I beg of you." She said then Steven nodded. When Kevin finished, someone clapped really loudly.  
"Bravo! Bravo indeed! Now that's a performance!"

"Mayor Dewey?" Steven said as a man came walking down.  
"Jamie, I read your play and I must say I am truly fascinated by how much angst and romance is in it. This young man here is perfect for the role of the main character's rival."

"What?!" Steven, Connie, Lavanya, and Jamie all said together.

"But sir we were just going to give the role to Sour Cream."

"If this young man isn't in the play, I won't be funding it!" Mayor Dewey said then Lavanya covered her face with her hands and Steven groaned.  
"The role of Joe goes to… Kevin…" He said then Kevin smiled and walked down.  
"Nice to see you back in theaters, Lala." The teenager said in a flirtatious tone and blew a kiss.

"Lavanya…? Do you… Know Kevin…?" Steven asked then Lavanya sighed as she removed her hands.  
"I do… Kevin is… My ex-boyfriend…"

"WHAT~?!" Almost everyone in the theater shouted in shocked.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Painful**

"Kevin is your ex-boyfriend?!" Jamie and Sour Cream both asked then Lavanya sighed as she hugged her legs while Steven pat her head.

"Yes… As much as I don't want to admit it but he is…"

"Yikes, girl… What did you even see in him?"

"Before I became famous, Kevin used to be so nice."

"Kevin? Nice? Are you sure it wasn't like a… A cousin who looks like him?" Steven asked trying to picture Kevin being sweet and nice but the image faded.

"No… I'm pretty sure it was just him. Still… How on Earth did he find me…?" Lavanya questioned then Sour Cream and Jenny looked at each other.

"I think we might know…" Jenny said then Lavanya looked at her curiously.

"When we had that slumber party we took a few photos of us together with you and posted it on our social media where…"

"We're friends with Kevin…" Sour Cream finished then Lavanya gasped.

"We're really sorry, Lavanya!" Jenny apologized then Lavanya held her head in her hands and was struggling to breath.

"Oh, my gosh! Lavanya!" Jamie said as he grabbed the blond hair girl's arms but Lavanya immediately screamed in terror as she started struggling.

"Lavanya calm down!" Jamie said trying to help.

"What's wrong with her?!" Steven asked feeling scared.

"I think she's having a panic attack!" Connie said then Jamie suddenly pulled Lavanya into a hug. Softly shushing her Jamie gently pat Lavanya's head. Lavanya was trembling and in tears sobbing softly.

"It's okay… It's okay, Lavanya… It's gonna be okay… We're not gonna let anyone or anything hurt you… So please… Please calm down and trust us…" Jamie said then Lavanya closed her eyes still crying. After about half an hour passed Lavanya was asleep then Jamie sighed softly.

"How'd you know what to do?" Steven asked then Jamie chuckled nervously.  
"I just… Um… Had a feeling, ya know…?"

"That was pretty brave of you, dude. I mean, Lav just went berserk." Sour Cream said then Jamie with the help of Steven piggyback Lavanya.  
"Well, all I did was just say the things she wants to hear. And I plan to keep those words I said to her."

"Spoken like a true poet." Steven said then Jamie started piggybacking Lavanya to her house.

* * *

 _Huh…? It's… It's so warm…_ Lavanya thought then she slowly opened her eyes and noticed she was moving.

"Huh…?"

"Oh, you're awake?" Jamie asked looking back at her then Lavanya gasped.  
"Jamie?! Wh-Wh-What are you doing?!"

"I'm taking you home. You had a panic attack back at the theater so I wanna make sure you get home safely." Jamie said as he continued piggybacking Lavanya. Lavanya looked at Jamie then she rested her forehead on his shoulder.  
"Thank you…" She said then Jamie smiled. When they finally arrived at her house, Lavanya took her house keys out but she heard Momo barking.

"Momo?!" Lavanya called then she opened the door and saw a horrifying sight.

"Lala I'm home~!" Kevin said as he was sitting on the couch. A couple feet away was Momo and he was barking at Kevin.

"Kevin… What are you…? What are you doing here?" Lavanya asked then Jamie clicked his tongue to call Momo and the sapphire chinchilla ran towards him and climbed up to his shoulder.

"You know it kinda hurts me knowing our baby likes other people and not me."

"He's barking at you. So obviously he doesn't like you." Jamie said as Momo kept barking.

"Kevin, get out of my house."

"Oh… Sorry but I'm afraid I can't do that. And don't even try calling the police on me. I got an alibi." Kevin said then Lavanya clenched her fists into balls.

"Your parents are nice as always. They were quite thrilled when I told them that you decided to continue performing in theaters."

"You!? You told my parents?!" Lavanya shouted then Kevin grinned.  
"That I did, baby. That I did."

Lavanya was about to yell but she then started hyperventilating.

"Whoa! Come, Lavanya..." Jamie said as he took Lavanya to her room but before the two left he gave Kevin a stink eye then went in her room. Locking the door Lavanya took some deep breaths while Jamie pat her back.

"That stupid jerk!" Lavanya hissed then Jamie shushed her softly.  
"Don't get mad. This is just his way of pulling you into his little game... I'll go make you something to help relax. For now keep taking deep breaths until I get back." He said then Momo jumped off his shoulder and landed on Lavanya's lap.

* * *

When Jamie left Lavanya's room he gasped when the moment he turned he saw Kevin standing there his arms crossed.

"Can I help you?" Jamie asked putting his hand on his hip.

"I know what you're doing and you might as well give up. I know Lavanya well so back off!"

"First of all, don't threat me or I will call the cops whether you have an alibi or not. And second of all, even though I don't know Lavanya very well but I do know about anxiety. And it's not to be treated lightly! So step aside! ...Please?" Jamie said at first upset then he came to his senses. Kevin scoffed and moved to the side then Jamie went into the kitchen. As Lavanya was taking slow deep breaths while pacing a bit Jamie then came back into her room carrying a tray.

"Is he still there?"

"Yeah... He is." Jamie answered then Lavanya groaned but took a few deep breaths while Jamie placed the tray on her desk.  
"I made chamomile tea and also brought some dark chocolate blueberries."

"Thanks, Jamie..." Lavanya said then Jamie gave the blond hair girl the tea cup. When Lavanya touched Jamie's hands she pulled her hands back and they both blushed a bit.

"Um, I'm just..."

"Y-Yeah..." Jamie said then Lavanya took the tea cup and blew on it softly before drinking it.

"Hey, uh... Lavanya...? If... If it makes you feel safer... Perhaps I could stay with you for the night...?" Jamie suggested then when Lavanya looked at him, his face turned completely red.  
"I-I-I-I mean, you know with your ex-boyfriend staying under the same roof as you I just wanted to make sure you're okay and all..." Jamie stuttered then Lavanya smiled as she placed the tea cup on her lamp desk.  
"That actually sounds nice, Jamie. Thank you for doing this." She said then she smiled sweetly. Jamie blushed and chuckled a bit. Outside Lavanya's room, Kevin stood next to the closed door hearing everything that the two were talking about and he grit his teeth and clenched his hand into a fist.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Rehearsal  
**

Lavanya slowly opened her eyes, her vision a bit blurry, but after blinking a couple times her vision became clearer.

"Morning, Lala." A familiar voice greeted then when Lavanya rubbed her eyes she saw Kevin's face right in front of hers.

"How about a good morning kiss?" He asked then Lavanya pinched his nose.  
"I must be hallucinating..." She said then Kevin groaned and then pushed her hand away.  
"That hurt! Geez...!"

"Oh... I forgot that you decided to intrude my house... How did I end up sleeping on the couch?"

"What? You don't remember sneaking a little late night romance with me?"

"That's a lie and you and I both know it." Lavanya said then Kevin scoffed.  
"Whatever... Got anything good to eat?"

" _You_ can make _yourself_ something to eat. I'm going out." Lavanya said as she went into her room. When she closed the door she saw Jamie asleep on her bed along with Momo curled up by her pillow. Smiling she gently shook Jamie's shoulder.  
"Hey, wake up Jamie. Wanna go get breakfast?" She asked then Jamie moaned softly.  
"Five more minutes, mom..." He muttered then Lavanya covered her mouth trying her best to hold her laughter. She then gathered some clean clothes and clicked her tongue waking Momo up.  
"Make sure Jamie gets up okay?" She asked then Momo nodded. As Lavanya headed to the bathroom, she went in and locked the door. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed softly.  
 _I look exhausted..._ She thought then she changed her clothes. Momo squeaked and licked Jamie's nose then the mailman chuckled then woke up.  
"Good morning, Momo." He said as he picked up the chinchilla and pet him.  
"Where's your master?" Jamie asked then Momo jumped off the bed and ran towards the bathroom. When Jamie got out of the room he saw Lavanya coming out of the bathroom.  
"Oh, ready to go?"

"Go? Go where?" Jamie asked confused.

"Get something to eat because _a certain **someone**_ refuses to **leave.** " Lavanay said giving Kevin stink eye then Momo started barking. Lavanya pet Momo and placed him in her purse.

"Sure. Let me just head back home and change... I'll meet you at the Big Doughnut then we can head to the theater and rehearse."

"Sounds like a plan!" Lavanya said then she when she leaves she gave Kevin a cold glare then slams the door. Kevin scoffed then turned to look at Jamie.  
"What?" The teenager asked then Jamie sighed.  
"I hope you're not planning to skip out on rehearsal... After all you are playing my rival..." Jamie said then he left. Kevin sighed then he pulled out a heart shaped key necklace out of his shirt.

 _"These are so pretty! And they even come in pairs for couples!"_

 _"Yeah, but why silver...? Isn't gold better...?"_

 _"Yeah. But... Silver suits you better than gold."_

He gripped the key softly then leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

* * *

 _As everyone arrived at rehearsal, even Kevin, Steven clapped his hands._  
"Okay everyone, gather around. So for today's rehearsal we are going to do the singing duet for Jack and Miss Acacia. Jamie and Lavanya let's beging." Steven said then Jamie and Lavanya got on stage. As the two started singing, Sour Cream glanced and noticed Kevin was giving stink eye to Jamie.

 _Yesh… I hate to be in Jamie's shoes right now…_ Sour Cream thought then Steven clapped his hands.  
"That was great you two. Next let's practice the scene of Joe bullying Jack." Steven said then Kevin stood up and walked to the stage.

"Break a leg. _Literally…_ " Lavanya whispered the last word then Steven tried to hold his laughter. As Kevin was on stage he started to talk in rap form then Lavanya groaned softly.

"Are you okay, Lav?" Sour Cream asked then the blond hair girl looked up at him.  
"It just frustratingly annoys me that my ex-boyfriend is here; staying at my house, along with tormenting me…"

"Y'know you can stay at my place. If you want to that is. My mom would be thrilled having you stay."

"And your step dad?" Lavanya asked with a giggle then Sour Cream bit his lip making a soft hiss.  
"You may have a point there Lav…"

"As nice as that sounds, I have to stay mainly since it's my house."

"Then how about I stay with you? Y'know in case your ex does something fishy." Sour Cream suggested as he wrapped both his arms around Lavanya's shoulders. Lavanya smiled then rest her cheek on his arm.  
"That actually sounds nice. And it seems easier than having Jamie stay over. But with you, you actually just live right across from my place."

"Exactly." Sour Cream said smiling. As the two watched everyone rehearse, Lavanya looked up at Sour Cream.

"You know… I think you would make a good Joe if my ex didn't show up like the jerk he is."

"You really think so? I would've messed up on some lines… And you heard Jamie, if I got the part I had to work on the singing part."

"That's what rehearsals are for, Sour Cream. Rehearsals help people memorize their lines that way when they are performing they know exactly what to do."

"Kinda like when I'm DJ-ing."

"In a way, yes. It's like you DJ-ing." Lavanya said then Sour Cream hugged her pressing his cheek against hers and they both laughed. As everyone rehearsed Steven clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.  
"Okay, guys. So we have a week before we perform. So I want everyone to come in tomorrow so we can rehearse and go over songs and lines."

"Steven? Do we have someone making the costumes or even have props for everyone to use for what scene they're in?" Lavanya asked then Steven started sweating nervously.  
"Ummm..." He began then Kevin started laughing.  
"Really? This is the kind of director you rely on, Lala?"

"Leave him alone! This is his first time doing something important and big. Steven, don't worry about costumes. I know a certain someone who can get these done in a short period of time." Lavanya said then she winked.

* * *

In Empire City, in a hotel someone's cellphone started ringing.

"Kuro~! Your phone is ring!" Someone hollered then a girl with long golden blond hair and amethyst eyes answered the phone.  
"Hello?" The girl said then she blinked.  
"Lala?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Celebrity Friends  
**

 _It was day two of rehearsal and Lavanya ran towards the theater while Kevin chased her._

"Leave me alone, Kevin! Someone stop him!" Lavanya shouted then when she got in Sour Cream blocked a very angry Kevin.  
"Don't think you're safe, Lala! I'm still staying at your place! Once you let your guard down I'm gonna get you..."

"Not while I'm here you're not!" Sour Cream said then Kevin pushed him a bit and scoffed. As he walked away Lavanya stuck her tongue at Kevin then turned to face Sour Cream.  
"Thanks..."

"No problem. But, what did you do to get him all mad like that?"

"Uh, let's say a little cutie made a toot on a place Kevin wasn't too happy about." Lavanya said then she whispered in Sour Cream's ear making the platinum blond gasped and chuckled.  
"Nice job, Momo." He said as he held his fist then Momo softly tapped his paw against the fist and squeaked.

"Okay everyone gather please?" Steven called then as everyone gathered the small curly hair boy cleared his throat.  
"Welcome to day two of rehearsal. Now Lavanya texted me this morning that someone dear to her is coming to take your measurements for the costumes."

"Really? Wow, Lavan who'd you find in such a short notice?" Jenny asked looking at Lavanya.

"That would be me." Someone said then everyone looked at the entrance and saw a girl with golden blond hair, a boy with dark hair wearing sunglasses, and another boy with silver hair and hazel eyes.

"Ah! They're here! Kuro!" Lavanya called happily then the back of Kevin's head spiked up as his face turned completely pale.

"What's with him?" Steven asked.

"Steven, do you even know who those two are?" Jenny asked then Steven looked at the group then shook his head.  
"Nope. I do not." He answered then Jenny giggled.  
"Those two are Kuro and Kira Yukimura. Kuro happens to be one of the youngest fashion designers and her younger brother Kira happens to be a very popular singer on the Internet."

"Really? How come I've never heard of him?"

"It's because most of his songs are Japanese." Sour Cream answered as he watched Lavanya talking to Kuro and Kira.

"It's been ages, Kuro. Hello Mihael."

"Hey, there Lala. How've you been?" Mihael asked then while Lavanya was about to tell her story, the silver hair boy noticed Kevin trying to escape.  
"Hold the phone... Oh. M. Double G. Is that Kevin?!" He questioned with a gasped then Kevin froze and slowly turned to face the group.

"Lala, you still dating this fool?" Kuro asked in a sassy tone glaring at Kevin.

"Uh, actually..."

"Yes! We're still dating!" Kevin interrupted Lavanya then the blond hair girl licked his hand and he groaned in disgust.

"No we are not dating! I broke up with you ages ago!"

"You don't have proof, Lala." Kevin said grinning confidentially.

"He's right. You don't. But I do." Mihael said with a grin as he played a video on his phone.

"What the?! How did you get that?!"

"Oh, let's just say I stumbled upon you two and had a feeling something was gonna get messy."

"You little- -! Delete that!" Kevin said then while he was chasing after Mihael, Kuro started taking measurements. When it was Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream's turn Lavanya smiled.  
"Kuro, these are my friends Buck Dewey, Jenny Pizza, and Sour Cream."

"So you're Lala's new friends?" Kuro asked while she took their measurements and the three nodded. Kuro smiled sweetly at them.  
"That's good to know she made friends that can be there for her." She said as she turned to look at Lavanya who was laughing as Mihael was teasing Kevin.

"Uh, Miss Kuro...? Do you know... About Lavanya's...?"

"Disorder? Yes. I did. Because she told me about it when we became friends." Kuro answered then she sighed softly.  
"It worried me that we couldn't be there for her... But it puts my mind at ease to know that she has friends that can look out for her and also treat her like an actual person." She said as she stood up then she shook the three teenagers' hands.

"Please continue to be friends with Lavanya. I'll do the same as well." Kuro said then she walked towards Lavanya.

"Oh, are you done already?"

"Yeah. I'll get these done in about four days."

"You never cease to amaze me, Kuro. Thank you so much for doing this."

"It's no trouble." Kuro said then she hugged Lavanya and pat her head.  
"You made such wonderful friends, Lala... I just wish I was there when you were in need of help." Kuro whispered then Lavanya hugged back and smiled.  
"What are you talking about? You're helping me now, and that there is enough to make me happy." The blond hair girl said then Kuro giggled.  
"By the way... Sour Cream looks pretty charming. I'd say you better snag him before I do." She said flirtatiously then Lavanya blushed brightly.

"Babe, you trying to cheat on me?" Mihael asked putting his hand on his hip then Kuro smiled and smacked her boyfriend with her notebook.  
"Maybe if you'd stop flirting with girls I won't even have the thought of wanting to break up with you and find an even better boyfriend that's ten times better than you."

"I'd say dump him to save the trouble..." Kira suggested then Mihael whined hugging Kuro.  
"I'll be a good boy! Please don't leave me!" Mihael cried then Kuro chuckled.

* * *

"You know you're always welcome to come back to Empire City, Lala." Kuro suggested then Lavanya smiled.  
"I know. But my home is here. And besides, if I go back that's probably what Kevin wants."

"If you want him gone I'll sucker punch him." Kuro offered as she cracked her wrists.

"Th-There's no need for that, thank you! This is my fight... And I'm not gonna run away."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Accident?**

"It was really nice of your friend to not charge us for making the costumes." Steven said as Lavanya looked in the mirror at her costume.

"You look quite ravishing, Lala." Kevin said flirtatiously then both Lavanya and Steven groaned in disgust.

"Yeah, you look really beautiful." Sour Cream commented smiling.

"Beauty is power, a smile is its sword." Jamie quoted while doing a pose.

"Oh, cut it out you two. You're making me blush." Lavanya said as she covered her face then Kevin's eye twitched a bit.  
 _How is it that when I give a compliment I get the cold shoulder, however with those yahoos she just accepts it and even blushes?!_ He thought as he glared at Jamie and Sour Cream then an idea came to him and he grinned evilly.

"What do you think I should get Kuro guys for helping us out?" Lavanya asked as she was looking at something online. She, Steven, and Jamie were having a snack break after they and everyone were done with rehearsal.

"Knowing your friend, she would probably say that you don't have to get her a gift."

"But I want to. After all she did all the costumes in such a short amount of time." Lavanya said then while she was looking on her phone, Steven peeked and gasped with amaze.  
"Those are _so cute~!_ " He squealed then Lavanya smiled.  
"Aren't they? This is my favorite store to shop."

"Look at all the cute cats…" Steven whispered his eyes sparkling.

"The Meowchi are my favorite since my parents and I can't have cats."

"How come? Does your home not allow cats?" Steven asked curiously.

"No, it's because… Me and my parents are allergic to cats…"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Steven said then Lavanya smiled.  
"It's okay, Steven. You didn't know. But when I see funny photos and cute videos of cats I feel sad because it's so unfair to be allergic to them." Lavanya said then she started texting Kuro asking what she would like for a thank you gift.

"You don't have to give me a gift silly. Just think of this as my gift for not always being there." Kuro's text message said then Lavanya sighed.  
"Maybe I can give her a gift of some snacks…"

"That reminds me, Lavanya do you plan on inviting your parents to see the play?" Jamie asked then Lavanya blinked and began to think.  
"I dunno…"

"I think you should. They can come to Beach City and see all the wonderful cool places this place has!" Steven said then Lavanya giggled.  
"Well, I guess I don't mind."

"I also told Kuro guys they can come as well." Jamie said then Lavanya smiled.  
"Thanks, Jamie. I just hope the play goes smoothly." She prayed then Steven stood up.  
"Not to worry, Lavanya! I promise that this play will run smoothly and nothing bad shall ever happen!"

"Thank you, Steven for being such an amazing director."

* * *

 _As Lavanya headed home when she opened the door she saw Kevin and Sour Cream glaring at each other ready to have a fist fight._

"What's going on here?!"

"I'm trying to get Kevin to leave your home and go somewhere else!" Sour Cream said then Kevin laughed.  
"Don't you think that's what Lala's been trying to do? Besides, I ain't going anywhere. Not till this play is over and Lala comes back home with me back to Empire City."

"First off, her name is Lavanya! And second, she's never gonna go back home with a jerk like you!" Sour Cream said then as both boys growled at each other, Lavanya got in between the two.  
"Stop it!" She said trying to stop the fight. She then grabbed Sour Cream's hand and took him to her room and locked the door. Once she locked the door Sour Cream groaned.  
"Sorry for loosing my cool like that Lavanya..."

"It's quite alright. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make a phone call." Lavanya said then Momo handed the blond hair girl her cellphone. She dialed a number and heard the line ringing. Sour Cream would leave to let her talk privately but with Kevin outside he'd make a commotion. He pretended to try and not hear much as the platinum blond played with Momo.

"Hi, mom. Yeah... It's been a while. No, everything's fine. Yes, I got your cookies, thank you for making them. Listen, mom. Do... You and dad wanna come to Beach City and see a play me and my friends are performing...? It's in three days. You will? Okay, I'll let the director know you and dad are coming. Love you too, mom. Tell dad I said hi and give him a kiss for me too." Lavanya said then she hung up her phone.

"You're parents are coming to see you perform?"

"Yeah. My parents are really nice and understanding..." Lavanya said as she laid on the bed and Sour Cream looked at her.

"I just hope this play will be great... I want my mom and dad to be proud of me."

"But Lav, didn't you just say that your parents are nice and understanding?" Sour Cream asked then Lavanya looked at him.

"Your parents love you no matter if you succeed or fail. They love you because they know you tried your best." Sour Cream said then Lavanya chuckled.  
"When did you get so wise?"

"Probably something I caught from Jamie." Sour Cream answered then Lavanya laughed. When Kevin heard everything from behind the door his face went pale and he started to shake a bit.

 _Her parents are coming?! This is bad... Th-They don't know that Lavanya and I broke up... If she tells them what happened they'll possibly file a restraining order! I have to do something! The play! If there's no play that means Lavanya's parents won't come!_

* * *

The next day when Lavanya and Sour Cream came to the theater, they both gasped at what they saw.

"Jamie! Jamie are you okay?!" Lavanya asked as Sour Cream helped up Jamie who was lying on the floor holding his leg and right beside him was a sandbag.

"My... My leg's broken..."

"What?!" Both Lavanya and Sour Cream said in shocked. Back stage Kevin grinned evilly as he placed the scissors on the side and walked away.  
 _No lead actor, no show... And no show means no parents... Sorry, baby but I don't plan on letting you rat me out._ He thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Taking Over**

"This is a disaster! Our star of the play is injured! And without our star we can't do a play!" Steven said in a small panic. Jamie sat in a chair with crutches next to him looking down while everyone was murmuring to one another about what to do except for Kevin who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed smiling.

"Surely there must be someone who can take over the role of Jack... Right...?" Lavanya asked then Sour Cream looked around to see no one volunteering. Sour Cream then stepped forward and everyone looked at him.  
"I'll do it!" He said then Steven smiled and Lavanya looked at him with a concern look.  
"Are you sure you want to do this...?" Lavanya asked then Sour Cream nodded confidentially.  
"This play means a lot to everyone... So I will do my best to make sure this play goes on!" Sour Cream said then Kevin softly gripped his arm and glared at Sour Cream.

* * *

"Are you sure this will work...?" Jamie asked as he and Steven were back stage while the others were taking a break before rehearsal starts.

"I'm one hundred percent certain this works. It never failed me before." Steven said as he licked his hand. He then pressed his wet hand on Jamie's broken leg and the mailman shivered at the sudden wetness on his leg.

"Well?" Steven asked then Jamie slowly sat up and moved his leg that was once broken.  
"It's all better..." Jamie said then he and Steven smiled.

"Should we let them know you're okay...?" Steven asked then Jamie shook his head.  
"No."

"But- -what about the play? Don't you want to play Jack?" Steven asked.

"As much as I want to, I think Sour Cream might actually make this play succeed." Jamie said as he and Steven peeked to see Lavanya and Sour Cream talking as they were looking at the script.

"So for now, this will be our secret." Jamie said then Steven nodded.

* * *

 _After practicing and rehearsing the sun was about to set, as everyone began to head home._

"Are you sure you don't wanna rehearse at my place...?" Lavanya asked then Sour Cream rubbed his neck.  
"As much as I want you, I'm not sure you can teach me Jack's roles... It's best for me to have Jamie teach me the roles so that I can memorize the lines. But... Will you be okay with you-know-who...?" Sour Cream asked then Lavanya looked down then she nodded.  
"Yeah... I'll be okay." Lavanya said with a gentle smile. As Sour Cream left with Jamie, Lavanya sighed softly until she felt an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Guess it's just you and me tonight, baby." Kevin said then Lavanya slapped his hand away and started walking to her house while Kevin followed her. When Lavanya and Kevin arrived at her house Lavanya unlocked the door and the moment she stepped into her house, Kevin slammed the door shut and pinned Lavanya to door surprising the blonde girl.

"L-let me go, Kevin..." She said feeling uneasy but she still kept her glowering gaze at her ex-boyfriend. Kevin blinked then smiled, gently stroking under her chin.  
"C'mon babe... Don't you remember the good old days, when we were happy...? When you were happy...?" Kevin asked as his coy look became a glare sending shivers down Lavanya's spine. Kevin slowly lowered his face and moved closer towards Lavanya's face; like a animal ready to eat its prey. Lavanya closed her eyes, waiting for what's to come when she suddenly heard Kevin yell and Momo barking. She opened her eyes and saw Kevin grab Momo and was about to throw the chinchilla but Lavanya grabbed the chinchilla before he could do so and dashed to her room, slamming the door and locking it.

"Are you okay, Momo?!" Lavanya asked then the chinchilla looked at her and nuzzles against her cheek making the blonde girl feel at ease.  
"Thank goodness... Thank you, Momo..." Lavanya said then she looked at the door, she was curious as to why Kevin didn't try to open her door or even break it down. In the living room Kevin looked at his face to see a light scratch on his cheek from when Momo attacked him. He looked at Lavanya's room then sighed softly as he laid on the couch deciding to go to sleep.

* * *

 _Late at night Kevin heard something; a soft creak. Sitting up, he looked around and saw Lavanya's room was open but also the front door as well._

"Lavanya?!" He called as he went outside and went to go look for her. Lavanya was walking, heading towards the cliff. Her eyes were glassy; in a daze as she got closer to the edge.

"LAVANYA!" Kevin yelled but it was too late, he saw Lavanya fell off the cliff into the ocean.

It's... Cold... Lavanya thought as she slowly opened her eyes to see a silhouette then she felt unconscious.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello, everyone. Thank you all for reading this story and being so patient with me. And before you ask, no, no one is going to die. I do apologize for not updating any of my stories but I will do my best to update more chapters. With that said I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Memories  
**

"Come on! Come on!" Kevin panted as he did CPR on Lavanya. When Kevin saw Lavanya fell off the cliff into the ocean he dove in after her and brought her to shore.

"Don't you dare die on me! Don't you dare, Lavanya!" Kevin said as he did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"Come on, Lavanya... Don't do this..." Kevin said as he had a grave look. He then did mouth-to-mouth one last time before he felt Lavanya moved and suddenly started coughing. Lavanya started shivering then Kevin hugged her.

"Kevin...?"

"You idiot! You almost gave me a freaking heart attack!" Kevin yelled at Lavanya then the blonde girl covered her ears. Kevin was so mad he wanted to keep yelling at Lavanya but seeing her shaking he sighed.  
"Never mind... Let's get you back home..." He said as he lifted Lavanya and carried her back home.

* * *

Inside Lavanya's house Kevin was in the kitchen making tea while Lavanya was sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. He walked towards the couch and Lavanya looked up at him.  
"Here, you still like to drink tea, right...?" Kevin asked as he held a mug out to Lavanya. Lavanya nodded and took the mug. She blew on it to cool it down a bit before taking a sip. Kevin sat down next to her and watched her drink the tea before she set the mug to the side.

"You haven't been sleep walking for quite some time..." Kevin said then Lavanya nodded looking down.  
"You... You use to be so nice to me, Kevin... Then one day you just snapped and got angry at me... For no reason..." Lavanya said then she wiped her eyes as tears fell. Kevin looked at the blonde hair girl then sighed softly.  
"Look... I didn't mean to do all those to you..."

"But you still did it anyway..." Lavanya said resting her chin on her knees.

"Lavanya... It's just... Back in Empire City... When we started dating... You became more popular and became even more busier with all your singing and plays... I... I was jealous..." Kevin admitted with a sigh. Lavanya looked at Kevin then he pulled the silver key necklace out of his shirt.

"You kept it...?" Lavanya asked then Kevin put the necklace back into his shirt and smiled.  
"I never really got rid of it... Like I said I did when you broke up with me." He said then Lavanya blushed looking down.

"Lavanya, come back with me to Empire City. Don't you miss the good times we had together; dancing at the club? Listening to jazz music? The city lights?"

"It was like living in a fairy tale... Sadly though, all fairy tales must come to an end, Kevin... And you were the one who wrote the end to my story..." Lavanya said looking away.

"But I can make it up to you, babe! I have all the money in the world! Tell me what you want- -I'll give it to you!" Kevin said using his hand to turn Lavanya to make her look at him. He had this desperate anxious look on his face; like he was afraid of something. Lavanya touched Kevin's cheek making him flinch a bit but he didn't take his eyes off her.  
"No amount of money in the world can ever repair the damage you caused..." She said then she slowly stood up and went to her room. She closed the door and looked at desk. There on the desk was a jewelry box and when Lavanya opened it she pulled out a silver heart shaped key necklace that looks just like the one Kevin had. Holding it in her hands she sighed softly.

* * *

 _"Kevin look! Aren't these just beautiful?"_ Lavanya asked as she and Kevin were in a jewelry store. Kevin looked at the objects that Lavanya was pointing at and it was a heart shaped key necklace.

 _"Eh, it's alright..."_ Kevin answered looking to the side then Lavanya pouted looking at him.  
 _"Come on, Kevin. These are so pretty! And they even come in pairs for couples!"_ Lavanya said trying to get Kevin to pay attention to her.

 _"Yeah, but why silver? Isn't gold better...?"_ Kevin asked then Lavanya smiled.  
 _"Yeah. True gold it better... But... Silver suits you better."_ She said then Kevin had a confused look.

 _"'Silver suits me better'? Babe, please- -Only gold will always suit someone like me!"_ Kevin said then Lavanya tapped his shoulder. The moment Kevin turned Lavanya put the necklace around his neck and once it was securely locked she kissed Kevin and smiled sweetly.  
 _"Silver brings out your eyes though..."_ She said then Kevin looked to see her wearing the necklace. He smiled at her then gave her a soft peck on the lips.

* * *

Lavanya held onto the necklace then she placed it on her desk before she went to bed. Kevin looked at his necklace and gently gripped it before he laid on the couch and decided to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Taking Things Too Far  
**

 _Morning came and when Lavanya came out of her room she saw Kevin on the couch still asleep. She looked at Kevin and smiled softly. She went into the kitchen and decided to boil water to make tea._

* * *

 _"Kevin which do you prefer, coffee or tea?"_ Lavanya asked smiling. Kevin rubbed his head and smiled gently at her.  
 _"Coffee, baby."_ He answered then Lavanya began to make coffee for him.

* * *

Lavanya looked in her cabinet and pulled out the tea tin can and then she took out a package of instant coffee. When Kevin woke up he saw a mug on the coffee table along with a note. He opened the folded piece of paper and all that was written on the paper was the words "Thank you". Kevin smiled at the note then he took the mug and took a sip out of it.  
"Heh... She remembered that I don't like anything in my coffee." He said as he continued to drink his coffee.

"Okay, everyone! Welcome to day four of rehearsal!" Steven announced as everyone gathered around.

"Okay we only have three more days until the play begins. So far, everyone is doing really good on their lines, especially Sour Cream. Let us begin song rehearsal. Lavanya, would you like to start?" Steven asked then Lavanya smiled as she walked to the stage. She then took a deep breath and looked at the crowd.

 _Que bonitos ojos tienes_  
 _Debajo de tus dos cejas,_  
 _Debajo de tus dos cejas..._  
 _Que bonitos ojos tienes..._

 _Y decirte nina hermosa_  
 _Qu'eres linda y hechicera,_  
 _Qu'eres linda y hechicera..._  
 _Malaguena salerosa~_

 _Yo no te ofrezco riquezas_  
 _Te ofrezco mi corazon,_  
 _Te ofrezco mi corazon_  
 _En cambio de mi pobreza_

 _Y decirte nina hermosa_  
 _Qu'eres linda y hechicera,_  
 _Qu'eres linda y hechicera..._  
 _Malaguena salerosa..._

 _Malaguena salerosa_

Everyone applauded and cheered then Lavanya bowed smiling sweetly.

"That was lovely, Lavanya." Steven said as Lavanya came down from the stage.  
"Lets now do the singing for Jack and Georges please." Steven said then Sour Cream and Ronaldo walked up to the stage. Lavanya sat down next to Jamie while Steven watched Sour Cream and Ronaldo sing.

"How's your leg?" Lavanya asked then Jamie blushed looking at her.  
"O-oh... I-it's still a little sore... But thank you for worrying about me." Jamie said blushing a bit.  
"Y-you know... Your singing is really incredible. I had no idea you can speak Spanish."

"Oh, actually I just listened to the song many times and tried my best to sound out the lyrics..." Lavanya admitted, blushing lightly from embarrassment. Suddenly, Jamie felt a shiver going down his spine; glancing behind he saw Kevin sitting behind him and Lavanya glaring at the mailman.

"Come on, Lavanya. Why don't we go get lunch together?" Kevin asked as he casually wrapped his arms around Lavanya's shoulders. The blonde hair girl looked at her ex-boyfriend then pinched his hand.  
"I'd rather starve then go eat together with you." She said bluntly then Kevin pulled away and rubbed his hand.  
"This is the kind of treatment I get for saving your life? Maybe I should've just left you to drown." Kevin said then everyone in the theater heard a loud slap. They all turned and were shocked to see Lavanya on her feet and Kevin's cheek slightly red from when Lavanya slapped him across the face. With tears in her eyes, Lavanya grabbed her things and left the theater in a rush.

"Lavanya!" Sour Cream called as he rushed out to find her. Everyone looked at Kevin with disgust and upsetting looks as the teen covered his cheek.

"When will you learn that some things that come out of your mouth hurt others?" Jamie asked in a low voice as he glared at Kevin.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Run Away  
**

After the incident back at the theater and Lavanya ran out, Sour Cream chased after her to make sure she is okay. He then found her sitting at the beach crying.

"Lavanya!" Sour Cream called as he ran towards her. Kneeling down he looked at Lavanya as she was sobbing. He then hugged her and gently comb her hair.  
"What did Kevin do...?" He asked as Lavanya sobbed and wiped her eyes. She then pushed Sour Cream off and began to run.

"Lavanya wait!"

"Leave me alone!" She yelled as she continued to run. Sour Cream didn't stop running after her. Lavanya quickly glanced back seeing the blonde running after her. She then decided to loose him by making a quick sharp turn into an alley then she ran towards a bus stop where the bus is about to leave.

* * *

"What?! You lost her?!" Steven asked then Sour Cream looked down.  
"She was really upset from what Kevin said to her..."

"Speaking of; where is that jerk?" Jenny asked then everyone looked around and noticed Kevin was gone as well.

At Lavanya's house, Kevin looked around the entire house; the closets, behind the shower curtains, even under cabinets.

 _Where the hell did she go...?_ He thought then he heard Momo barking at him. He turned and glared at the chinchilla then sighed.  
"You're lucky I don't have time for you, furball." He said as he walked pass Momo. As he walked out of the house he then remembered the night when Lavanya almost killed herself.

"Frickin' moron!" He cursed as he ran towards the cliff. When he arrived he looked around to see if Lavanya left anything like her shoes. He then looked down at the ocean fear in his eyes.  
 _No... No, no, no, no, no!_ He thought then taking a few steps back he ran and dove into the ocean. He looked around underwater but didn't see Lavanya. As he swam up to catch a deep breath of air he dove right back into the water and swam around.  
 _Am I too late?!_ He thought as his heart sank. He looked deep down into the dark depths of the sea and swam straight down.

* * *

"Come on... Come on!" Jamie said as he was doing CPR on Kevin. What happened was right when Kevin was swimming straight down into the bottom so recklessly he couldn't breath. Luckily, before he did such a foolish and reckless thing, Jamie saw Kevin dive into the ocean from the cliff. The moment the mailman saw the teen dive into the ocean he immediately ran to save him.

"Come on!" Jamie said and just as he was about to blow air into Kevin's mouth, Kevin immediately sat up and started coughing.

"Oh thank goodness..." Jamie said with relief then Kevin gasped realizing he was on shore.

"Why'd you save me?! Lavanya is at the bottom of the ocean!" Kevin shouted as he was about to go back into the water but Jamie quickly hooked his arms around Kevin's arms.

"Let me go! Lavanya needs my help!" Kevin yelled.  
"Lavanya wouldn't be so foolish to end her life!"  
"You don't know that! You don't know her like how I know her! I know her far more then you do!" Kevin yelled as he tried to break free.  
"You're right, I don't know her like how you know her... But what I do know is that Lavanya wouldn't end her life all because her ex boyfriend said something so cruel all because you were jealous!" Jamie said then Kevin swung his fist down and hit Jamie right in the stomach.  
"I'm **not** jealous..." Kevin said while Jamie held his stomach.

"Wait a minute... Why are you walking?" Kevin asked then Jamie was frozen in thought.

* * *

 _In Empire City when Bianca got off the bus she looked around. Sighing softly she started walking. After walking for almost an hour she stopped in front of a door. Lavanya stared at the door then took a deep breath._  
"Okay... Here goes..." She told herself then she rang the doorbell. A few seconds later the door opened and a lady with long wavy blond hair came out.  
"Yes?" She called then she gasped softly.

"Hi, mom..." Lavanya greeted with a soft yet sad smile.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Lying and Trusting  
**

"You lied?!" Kevin shouted at Jamie as the two males were at Lavanya's house. Jamie looked down feeling a little guilty; to think that Kevin found out about his secret that his leg was healed shortly after it got broken.

"It's not so bad..." Jamie said then Kevin scoffed.  
"'Not bad'? You lied to everyone that your leg was broken and even pretended it still was with a cast and crutches!" Kevin said then Jamie sighed.

"So? How the hell did you manage to get it heal so quickly?" Kevin asked as he drank some tea that Jamie made. Before Jamie could answer Kevin spit the tea back into the cup.  
"Ugh, this is awful! I hate tea! Can't you make coffee?!"

"Why would I make tea and coffee? Besides coffee is bad for you." Jamie said then Kevin scoffed as he placed the tea cup down.  
"Now about how my leg healed..." Jamie began then he and Kevin heard Momo barking at Kevin.

"Seriously? This again? Hey, make the rodent stop making noise." Kevin ordered then Kevin kneeled down and picked up Momo.  
"There there, you're just mad because you have to with this mean man because he made your master leave." Jamie said cooing as he pet the chinchilla.

"Baby talking to a rodent ain't helping either." Kevin said as he crossed his arms. He then began to think; if Lavanya didn't commit suicide and she's no where in Beach City, where could she be? Then a thought came to Kevin.  
"Of course! It all makes sense! I'm so stupid for not even thinking of going there in the first place!" Kevin said then Jamie looked at him confused.

"I'll be right back!" Kevin said as he grabbed his car keys.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Jamie asked as he followed Kevin but he stopped when Kevin got into his car.  
"I'm bringing Lavanya back."

"Wait! You know where she is?! I'm coming with you!" Jamie said but before he could even get close to the vehicle, Kevin drove off at full speed. As he was driving he tightly gripped the steering wheel.  
"You better be there..." He said.

* * *

"What? You ran away?" Lavanya's mother asked then Lavanya looked down sadly.  
"Yeah..."  
"Now sweetheart why would you do that? I thought you liked it over at Beach City... You looked like you were having so much fun with your new friends."  
"To be honest mom... I don't even know if they're my actual friends..." Lavanya said then her mother scooted her chair closer to her daughter.  
"Sweetheart, what are earth would make you think they're not your actual friends?"  
"I dunno, mom... I just... I feel so scared and confused... I don't know who to trust or who to turn to when I'm feeling like this..." Lavanya said as she closed her eyes. Lavanya suddenly felt her mother wrap her arms around her giving her a hug.  
"I know you're upset because you're putting yourself down and you hate it, but there's one thing you should always remember; you can always come to me or your father when you don't know who to go to. We love you Lavanya. And we want you to be happy and smiling." Lavanya's mother said then Lavanya began to cry, sobbing softly.

* * *

When Kevin arrived at Lavanya's house he began to ring the doorbell many times.  
 _Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!_ He thought then the door opened and standing in front was a tall man with dark brown hair and he was wearing glasses.

"Oh, Kevin what a surprise." The man, Lavanya's father, said with a smile.

"Hi, Mr. Hart! Can't stay and chat! Gotta talk to your daughter!" Kevin said as he barged right in and went into the kitchen where he saw Lavanya and her mother.

"There you are! You're coming back with me!" Kevin said as he grabbed Lavanya's hand. Lavanya gasped when her ex boyfriend grabbed her hand and was being pulled up.  
"Kevin what are you doing here?!"  
"I'm taking you back to Beach City. You and I have a play to put on."  
"No way!" Lavanya said as she struggled to break free. As the two teens were arguing, Lavanya's father stepped in to break the two apart.  
"Alright that's enough. I think you two need to talk."

"But dad- -!"

"No but's Lavanya. You and Kevin need to talk and settle things down." Lavanya's mother said. Lavanya and Kevin were both sitting down a few inches away from each other. Kevin looked at the refreshments that Lavanya's mother left for the two of them and sighed.

"Don't worry... I had my mother make us coffee..." Lavanya said as she poured a cup for Kevin. When she set it down in front of her ex she turned to look away.  
"How'd you know I was here...?" She asked then Kevin took a sip.  
"Well it was either here or the bottom of the ocean..." He answered then Lavanya glared at him. Before she could even open her mouth Kevin raised his hand up. He set the cup back on the table and turned to look at her.  
"Before you start snapping at me and even slapping my face, let me say this: when you disappeared because I made you upset I was terrified that you ran off and ended your life. I went back to the cliff and almost swam to the bottom of the ocean." Kevin said then Lavanya looked at him. She noticed his hair looked a little damp. She then reached over and touched his skin and gasped softly the moment she touched him.

"You're cold... Did you really dive down to the bottom of the ocean...? Or did you blast your air condition on your way here?"

"Still don't believe me huh? Well maybe if you come back with me that mailman lover boy would tell you the truth." Kevin said,  
"After all, he did save me." He added then Lavanya looked at him.  
"Lavanya come back to Beach City... After the play is done... I'll leave." Kevin said then Lavanya's eyes widen with shock.


End file.
